The NFL is about to enter its 100th season and so fans were expecting something special to happen in the run up to the beginning of the season. With the first game drawing ever nearer, the anticipation for the season to start is growing every day. Fans got their wish for something really unique and exciting when the new promo featuring national treasure Betty White dropped at the end of August.
The promo was released by NBC in order to advertise their Sunday Night Football show. The show will return when the season begins and it wanted to do something special to commemorate the centenary of the league. The biggest games of the week are aired on this show, along with discussions about all the other games that are not shown live. The show is considered to be a very high authority on all matter that relate to the NFL and so it is not surprising that they have come up with their own promo to celebrate the 100 years of the NFL.
The commercial begins with commentator Al Michaels declaring that he doesn’t think anyone could put the feelings of the nation that the NFL is 100 years old into words. It is at this moment that the voice of Betty appears from off-screen and declares that she is someone who can. This may not be the person that people would expect to star in an NFL commercial but it is certainly someone that makes people smile. She looks so good for her age that it sometimes does not seem possible that she is actually 97 years of age. The NFL had only been running for three years when she was born.
There's only one thing more badass than this year's NFL Kickoff on NBC.
And you're looking at her. #NFL100 @BettyMWhite pic.twitter.com/fTiJeai1bi
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) August 28, 2019
The promo is very funny and shows that White is no pushover, despite her age. At one point Michaels tries to interrupt her until she tells him to be quiet because ‘B-Dog is talking now’. She is shown sitting on a throne throughout the entire commercial which represents her status as the Queen of entertainment. Arguably the funniest moment of the commercial is at the end after she has announced when the first game will be aired. The scene cuts back to Betty still on the throne but now she has the same black war paint under her eyes that some NFL players wear. She looks directly at the camera as she states that she is the only thing that is more bad-ass than the NFL. This is the highlight of the whole commercial according to People.
At 97 years old, Betty White is almost as old as the NFL itself. She is one of America’s best loved actresses and will be instantly recognizable to anyone who watches the promo. She has had a career that has spanned 80 years and is considered to have the longest TV career of any entertainer past or present. She is best known for her role as Rose Nylund in the Golden Girls. She was also a regular guest panelist on a number of different quiz shows which earned the nickname ‘First Lady of Game Shows’. She has won several Emmy awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009 she was inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame.
It is not the first time that Betty White has appeared in an advertisement that has a sporting theme. A few years ago, she appeared in an advert for Snickers that was aired during half time of the Superbowl. This also had an NFL theme with White appearing to get tackled when she was in the middle of a scrimmage. There were also a lot of references to sports that were made in the Golden Girls. Do You Remember reports that there was even a podcast that was named Golden Girls Sports. Therefore, it was perhaps not such a big leap that she was chosen to be the face of the promo as she has a history of sporting connections, especially since the days of the Golden Girls.
The 100th NFL season kicks off on September 5 with a game between the Chicago Bears who host the Green Bay Packers. This game was chosen because it is one of the longest running rivalries in the league. It is a break from tradition because it usually the winner of the last Superbowl that plays in the first game of the season. There are several other games that are due to take place over the course of the season that also have a special historical significance. The Packers will play the Kansas City Chiefs in week eight in what is a recreation of the first ever Superbowl game. The NFL was founded in Ohio and week fourteen will see two teams from Ohio play each other – the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. Both of these teams were founded by Paul Brown.
According to Wikipedia, a centennial logo will be used throughout the season in place of the regular logo. This logo can be seen on the podium that Al Michaels is standing behind at the beginning of the promo. Players will also wear the emblem as a patch on their uniforms. The Bears are also celebrating their own centenary this season and will have their own version of the emblem. They started life as the Decatur Staleys and were one of the original teams that played in the very first NFL season. They will also make a throwback jersey available during the 2019 season.
For many people, the NFL is the highlight of the sporting year and many fans would have been anticipating the beginning of the season for some time. This year it is even more special because it is such an important anniversary. There will be events and special games that are held throughout the entire season and so there is plenty for fans to look forward to. The promo that featured Betty White would have definitely helped to whet fans appetites even further. There is also a good chance that people will continue to think of her as B-Dog for many years to come.
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